Immigrant children who come into the U.S. alone are housed in shelters like this one in Harlingen, which is licensed to hold up to 295. Some 60,000 children and teens are expected to be caught in the U.S. illegally without a parent or guardian this year.

Immigrant children who come into the U.S. alone are housed in...

LOS FRESNOS - The round-cheeked 17-year-old with wide chocolate eyes hadn't felt like a child for some time. He'd spent months trying to reach the U.S., clinging to the tops of steel trains, holed up with kidnappers, shivering in a chilly Border Patrol holding tank.

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